Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument,

Bates Well Ranch @ Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, In its cowboy years, the monument was a very different place. More than 1,700 cattle roamed the desert hills as recently as the 1960s. The grazing permits were revoked, and the last of the animals left the monument in 1972, according to the National Park Service. Today, old roads still lead to abandoned wells and ranch structures. The wild grasses and small cacti—once trod over by cattle—continue to recover.